Since Esprit was founded, conducting business responsibly has been a key component of the corporate culture and an important part of the brand’s identity. This commitment has resulted in the first sustainability report for the financial year 2014/15 which is intended to bolster and secure the work of the company in this area and make it measurable and transparent.
Having reported a positive result for the financial year 2015/16, Esprit is now in the process of publishing its second global sustainability report. In spirit of the founding philosophy, the company is continuing to expand its activities in the area of sustainability and social compliance focusing on the three main topics of sustainable materials, social sustainability and environmental sustainability. The said report has been written in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 ‘Core’ Level and will be published in English and German on Esprit’s website.
The company has been able to further advance these important fields of action among other things through valuable strategic co-operations with partners such as IndustriALL, Canopy and the Better Cotton Initiative.While in the financial year 2014/15 the focus in the area of sustainable materials was on the Tier 1 suppliers, the focus has moved to the Tier 2 and cotton farms and suppliers in the financial year 2015/16.
This goes to show that Tier 2 suppliers are now also integrated into the HIGG index and thus their environmental impacts in the value chain can be measured. In February this year, Esprit also became a learning member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) that contributes to the promotion of organic cotton production. The new alliance with the non-profit organisation Canopy ensures the sustainable production of viscose, which, besides cotton is the most important textile fibre at Esprit.
To guarantee social sustainablity, Esprit co-operates with various initiatives and programmes such as the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), Better Work and Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. In addition, in September last year, Esprit joined the Action, Collaboration, Transformation (ACT) programme1 in which the company works with other members to ensure fair living wages in the textile industry.
In order to implement environmental sustainability in the textile industry, Esprit is a member of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Group (ZDHC) to completely eliminate hazardous chemicals from the supply chain by 2020. This process was completed in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the financial year 2015/16. Esprit is also a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). In addition to participating in these initiatives, Esprit also has its own department which examines the risks associated with sustainability and social responsibility and works to implement national and international requirements.
